As Johnny Manziel exited the team bus to enter Tiger
Stadium, a leather-lunged group of LSU Tiger fans laid in wait.

"Tiger bait! Tiger bait! Tiger bait!"

Whether Texas A&M's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback
could hear the raucous chants is unclear, what with a maroon knit cap pulled
low over his head and a pair of headphones muffling his ears.

The rude Louisiana welcome set the tone for Manziel. There
was going to be nothing fun about his first visit to Tiger Stadium.

In the longest, coldest, most miserable night of his career,
Manziel was hounded and harassed by a swarming LSU defense into the worst
performance of his otherwise spectacular college tenure. Johnny Football looked
more like Johnny Knoxville as he completed only 16 of 41 pass attempts for 224 harmless
yards and was intercepted twice.

"We got punched in the mouth tonight," Manziel said. "It
wasn't fun."

Indeed, little about this night was enjoyable for Manziel,
including the uncharacteristically cold, wet, blustery weather conditions.

He was cursed and jeered unmercifully for four quarters by
the LSU faithful, several of whom mocked his offseason shenanigans by rubbing their thumbs and fingers together in the dollar-sign
gesture. But the inhospitality of the sellout crowd of 92,494 paled
in comparison to how the LSU defense treated him.

Defensive coordinator John Chavis and the Tigers showed once
again they know better than anyone in college football how to keep Johnny on
the spot.

The same tactic they used to thwart Manziel in a 24-19
victory last season worked again on Saturday. A strategically tepid three- and
four-man pass kept Manziel contained in the pocket for most of the night. The
few downs in which he did have time to pass, he was confounded by an array of
changing coverages in the secondary.

The nation's leader in completion percentage managed to
connect on only 39 percent of his throws, a career low. The guy who accounted
for 39 touchdowns in his first 10 games mustered just one TD on this night.

Thanks to the scout-team work of speedy wide receiver Odell
Beckham Jr., who served as a Manziel-esque quarterback in practice, the Tigers
were prepared for Manziel's slippery scrambles. They bottled him between the
hashmarks for most of the night and limited him to just 54 rushing yards in 12
attempts. Manziel's longest run covered 13 yards.

Consequently, the Aggies were held to their lowest point
total in Manziel's 25-game career, almost five times fewer than their 49.2 average.

"You have to give a lot of credit to LSU," Manziel said.
"They came out and mixed a lot things up. They kept us guessing, and it really
took us awhile to figure it out. ... It was just kind of one of those days. It
had nothing to do with being on the road or the rowdiness."

Manziel lost more than a football game. He likely lost the
Heisman Trophy, too. His bid to become only the second two-time Heisman winner
died in Death Valley. Florida State's embattled Jameis Winston now is clearly
in the driver's seat to win college football's most prestigious individual
honor.

And his draft stock might have taken a hit, as well. About a
dozen NFL scouts attended the game, among them Saints director of player
personnel Ryan Pace. The Arizona Cardinals sent president Michael Bidwell,
general manager Steve Keim and director of player personnel Jason Licht presumably
to scout him, along with LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Manziel's star
power also lured New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Saints coach Sean
Payton to the house.

But the LSU Tigers upstaged college football's leading man.

"Johnny Manziel is a great football player," LSU defensive
tackle Anthony Johnson said. "I was excited to play against him. But we know
how to stop him."

It all added up to a largely lousy night in Louisiana for
Manziel. The Pelican State hasn't been such an inviting place for Manziel. This
summer he was sent home from the Manning Passing Academy after he shirked his
duties as a camp instructor in favor of the Thibodaux nightlife.